Product Description

Heather Hampton returns to Moses Lake, Texas, to help facilitate the sale of a family farm as part of a planned industrial plant that will provide the area with much-needed jobs. Heather's future fiance has brokered the deal, and Heather is in line to do her first large-scale architectural design--if the deal goes through.

But the currents of Moses Lake have a way of taking visitors on unexpected journeys. What was intended to be a quick trip suddenly morphs into Valentine's week--with Blaine Underhill, the handsome banker who just happens to be opposing Heather's project. Spending the holiday in an ex-funeral parlor seems like a nightmare, but Heather slowly finds herself being drawn into the area's history, hope, and heart.

Publisher's Description

Heather Hampton returns to Moses Lake, Texas, to help facilitate the sale of a family farm as part of a planned industrial plant that will provide the area with much-needed jobs. Heather's future fiance has brokered the deal, and Heather is in line to do her first large-scale architectural design--if the deal goes through.

But the currents of Moses Lake have a way of taking visitors on unexpected journeys. What was intended to be a quick trip suddenly morphs into Valentine's week--with Blaine Underhill, the handsome banker who just happens to be opposing Heather's project. Spending the holiday in an ex-funeral parlor seems like a nightmare, but Heather slowly finds herself being drawn into the area's history, hope, and heart.

Author Bio

Lisa Wingate is a popular inspirational speaker, magazine columnist, and national bestselling author of several books, including Tending Roses, Talk of the Town, Drenched, A Thousand Voices, and A Month of Summer. Her work was recently honored by the Americans for More Civility for promoting greater kindness and civility in American life. Lisa and her family live in central Texas.

Heather is 34, single, and lives in Seattle. She has a good job working as an architect. Proxica, a large food processing plant wants to buy land in Moses Lake, Texas. Because that is where her fathers family is from, she thinks she has convinced her mother and great-uncles to sell the family farm to Proxica.

When her mother backs down from the sale, Heather packs a small bag and flies to Moses Lake. When she arrives, her family doesnt appear very welcoming. They speak in whispers, stop conversations when she enters a room, and give her vague answers when she asks questions. Her brother, Clay is gone for hours every night, and no one seems concerned.

While she tries to sort out the mystery, she comes to grips with her past hurts and disappointments that have made her distant from her family and from God.

This is the second book in the Moses Lake series. The story had my attention from the beginning, as I was trying to figure everything out right along with Heather. In my opinion, this was a much more enjoyable read than the first book.

This book took me a while to get into...like over halfway through the book. The story wasn't bad. I was interested enough to keep reading, but I wasn't involved in the story until the half way point. Then, I couldn't put it down.

For most of the story, I found Heather to be childish, selfish, and annoying. I understood her reasoning for being the way she was, but it still bothered me. I wanted her to look, REALLY LOOK, at the people around her and how they perceived her, rather than how she perceived them. The secondary characters, the uncs mainly, provided a sort of relief to the story. I loved Blaine's "all-American good boy" character. The romance kind of seemed forced, though.

The message was my favorite part of this story. "In keeping my defenses high, in striving to maintain a self-sufficient, ordered, controlled life that contained minimal risk, I was missing everything that mattered most. A well-lived life, an authentic life, involved risks - and faith that allowed you to take those risks." In keeping your self locked away because of the risks involved, you are missing out on the blessings God has in store for your lives!

Overall, the book was good. I thoroughly enjoyed the message it contained and look forward to reading the third book in the series.

After reading Wingate's first book in this series, Larkspur Cove, I was anxious to get to this second book. I wasn't disappointed. Wingate has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I highly recommend this series!

I usually am a historical fiction snob...I like to learn a little bit about the culture of the different time periods that the books are set in...I particularly like to read about the fashion, rules of society...and customs that transport me to a different time and place. When asked to review Blue Moon Bay, I knew that this novel was set in present day and I was pleasantly surprised to find myself immersed in the culture of small town, Moses Lake. Having grown up in a small town myself, I found myself identifying with the secondary characters and really enjoying the interplay between them.

Heather Hampton always felt out of place, and like the school 'freak'. Her father was murdered and she is haunted by the fact that she witnessed the horrible scene. As soon as she was able she moved to the city and began her career and was feeling really settled in her big city life when her professional and personal life collide. The sale of family real estate will further her career and her mother and brother seem set on hindering the progress of the deal. Heather decides that she must return to the town she has spent most of her life trying to forget to convince her family to sell the property. Once back in town, Heathers path collides with the handsome banker, Blain Underhill, the high school football player she spent most of the past trying to forget. The swirling waters of Moses lake brings change with the wind as a sense of mystery pervades over the last few chapters. I must say the ending was very intriguing and much different than I would have guessed!

I would recommend this book, and give it 4 stars! I was given this book for purpose of review from Bethany House Publishers. I am under no obligation to give a positive review.

What I enjoy most in the books written by Lisa Wingate is the way she can make them connect to your life. In Blue Moon Bay we are connected to her characters in many ways - challenges when dealing with family members, challenges with events from our youth, challenges with work, friends, or finding our place in the world. More than once as I read the book I had to stop and think about a point that was being made about love or relationships and consider how I might take that to heart in my own life. She may not have a lot of plot lines like popular crime novels or thrillers, but her plot lines go deep and strike a chord in her reader. When I am still thinking about a point made in a book long after I've put it down, you know that book has made a difference. I encourage everyone to read Blue Moon Bay - it's interesting, fun, poignant, and has a great twist to the ending.